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Breitling is a brand known for premium luxury watches that follow old-school aviation and nautical themes. With their unique design comes a hefty price tag. However, for those of us who would like a bit of luxury for a more affordable price, we have a few options for you.
1. Navitimer Automatic 41
Coming in at almost 4000 USD, it may be hard to believe this is one of the cheaper options from Breitling.
It comes in a few style options. One is blue, with a leather strap and a steel face, a brown leather option with a silver watch face, and a classic black look, with a black steel watch face, for those who like an understated look.
The Navitimer features a 41mm stainless steel watchcase encasing the legendary circular slide rule Breitling is famous for, and a beaded bezel for a hint of embellishment. The case is a blend of steel and gold, with a screwed in case-back and a sapphire crystal surface that is glare and scratchproof.
The self-winding mechanical option is powered by a COSC-certified chronometer known as the Breitling Caliber 17.
This Swiss-made watch has a 38-hour power reserve and comes with an alligator strap with a pin or folding buckle.
2. Navitimer Chronograph 41
Next up on the price scale is the Navitimer Chronograph 41. The same size as the first option, but with nearly a $2000 difference in price, this is a smaller take on the original Navitimer 1.
For pilots and all others who need airborne navigation, this watch provides and executes them all. Also, with a COSC certified chronometer and with the self-winding caliber, the Navitimer 41 is unsurpassed in terms of precision.
The Breitling Navitimer Chronograph has approximately 48 hours of power reserve with a bidirectional slide rule and a cambered sapphire surface.
Choose between two different leather colors with various closures, or opt for the steel option for a higher price point.
3. Navitimer Automatic 38
The Navitimer Automatic 38 is a more compact version of the first option with a higher price point, if you believe it or not. It’s one of the smallest Breitling designs and is unisex due to its 38mm watch case, and many watch face and strap options.
This watch has luminescent hands and index hour markers with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal surface.
In terms of power reserve, you can get anywhere between 38 to 42 hours. As this watch is not meant to be worn in the ocean rather than 30,000 feet in the air, it only has water-resistance up to 30 meters (100 feet).
As for the functions, this luxury watch features the date, hour, minute second display, and a chronometer.
Other Affordable Breitling Watch Models
Although we picked the best options offered on their site, there are a few other watch lines that are worth mentioning as well. Other than the Navitimer, that’s quite affordable for this brand, also look into:
• Chronomat
• Avenger
• Colt
• Superocean Heritage
• Transocean
• Montbrilliant
• Professional
• For Bentley
Why are Breitling Watches So Expensive?
A big reason would be the history and prestige of the brand. A lot of pricey luxury watch brands were established almost a century ago, much like Breitling.
Most of them also originate from Switzerland, the watch capital of the world, and for that reason, the “Swiss made” stamp offers some sort of exclusivity and rarity to these luxury brands.
Much like certain high-end designer couture brands, Rolex, Breitling, and other comparable brands only utilize the best materials to construct these timepieces. That alone adds another layer of expense to the finished product. That, coupled with the expertise, care, and construction, will skyrocket the price.
They don’t use the common quartz movement you may find in most timepieces on the market, but the painstaking effort went through the construction process to yield the perfect precision when keeping time. An automatic movement is what you will get with these higher-end brands.
Are Breitling Watches Worth It?
If you’re not only looking for a device that keeps time but one that was constructed with intricate care, offers excellent precision and offers a good ROI (return on investment), then yes, a Breitling watch is worth it. The recognition of the brand also plays a large part in its resale value. This means that the more sought after and recognized, the higher the resale value of the product. This isn’t just for watches – the same goes for many pre-loved luxury bags.
Conclusion
Breitling is a professional brand that produces timeless watches but also keeps up with the times. For example, with the release of their Exospace B55 smartwatches. While they still don’t compare to Rolexes in terms of price and status, they are still amazing watches that offer thousands of styles and strap options. Not to mention, they’re more affordable than Rolexes, but do not perform any less impressively.
